50-year-old Oleksandr Rachkovskyi was killed on August 31, 2025, in the village of Korovii Yar, Kramatorsk district. The man came under Russian shelling while smoking outside.
Oleksandr was born in Volgograd Oblast, Russia. From childhood he lived in Ukraine, in Donetsk region, where his parents had moved. There he finished school and studied to become an agronomist. He worked in his profession, and before the war was employed at a sawmill.
In the spring of 2022, Oleksandr’s wife and children evacuated. A few days later, Russian occupiers entered the village.
Oleksandr decided to stay to look after the family home and his elderly mother, who lived in an apartment building. He moved in with her because the building had a large basement where they could hide together during shelling.
However, in the spring–summer of 2022, a missile struck that building. Oleksandr’s mother suffered cardiac arrest and died.
By August 31, 2025, Oleksandr had already packed his belongings to leave the village, which was under constant shelling. He stepped into the yard to smoke when a shell suddenly hit him.
The village head transported Oleksandr’s body to the morgue. Due to ongoing hostilities, it was impossible to bury him in the village, so Oleksandr Rachkovskyi was laid to rest in Sloviansk.
His wife Liliia remembers him as a man who was always working and caring for his family and children. Oleksandr Rachkovskyi is survived by his wife, three sons, a sister, and other relatives.
At 9:00 a.m. — the nationwide minute of silence.
The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial: Killed by Russia platform honor the residents of Donetsk region murdered by Russian forces.